


Yours To Take

by bloodyfandom



Series: Whisperer [2]
Category: NCIS
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-25
Updated: 2013-07-25
Packaged: 2017-12-21 06:48:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/897146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodyfandom/pseuds/bloodyfandom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With a soft smile, Gibbs bows his head slightly, “As you wish.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Yours To Take

Tony has caught a bout of the stomach flu that’s been going around and Gibbs winces with sympathy as the younger man’s stomach decides it’s finally had enough. Tony wretches miserably into his garbage bin, spewing his lunch over old memos and missives.  
  
“You ok?” McGee asks, handing Tony a bottle of water.  
  
“Yeah, Probie. Thanks.”  
  
“Stomach flu, huh?”  
  
Gibbs can see the faint twinkle even under the illness and sits back to wait.  
  
“Nah, actually I’m pregnant. Morning sickness. I think it’s yours, Boss.”  
  
Despite himself, Gibbs tosses his head back and laughs heartily.  
  
“God help us,” he snorts, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, “Half your sense of humor and half my bullheadedness.”  
  
“Well, yeah, but it would be a good looking kid,” Tony grins.  
  
“If you say so.”  
  
“Perhaps you should go home, Tony?” Ziva suggests, raising an eyebrow at Gibbs.  
  
Gibbs nods and waves a hand, “Yeah, yeah. Go home, DiNozzo.”  
  
“I’m fine, Boss, really…”  
  
Tony hurls again and McGee jumps back as Tony partially misses the bin this time.  
  
With a sigh, Gibbs shakes his head.  
  
“Come on, I’ll drive you. Hold down the fort, McGee. Get somebody to clean that up.”  
  
“Y-yes, Boss. Uh…feel better, Tony.”  
  
Tony rinses out his mouth and spits into the can, giving McGee a brief nod before rising to his feet.  
  
“You don’t have to drive me, Boss…”  
  
“Shut up, DiNozzo.”  
  
“Shutting up, Boss.”  
  
Ziva wiggles her fingers at him, giving him a supportive smile.  
  
“Feel better, Tony. McGee and I will take care of everything here, alright?”  
  
“Thanks, Ziva.”  
  
They had only been finishing up a case, writing their reports and compiling their evidence but Tony was glad to not have to stare at that computer screen for a while.  
  
“Today, DiNozzo,” Gibbs barks as he holds open the elevator doors.  
  
Tony gives him a half-hearted glare as he takes up his laptop case and jacket.  
  
“Coming, coming…” he mutters.  
  
When the doors shut, Gibbs reaches up and rubs a hand back and forth over Tony’s upper back, patting his shoulder blade gently before pulling away.  
  
“You thought it only went one way?”  
  
“What?” Tony blinks.  
  
“It’s mine to take, right? You wanna take you gotta give.”  
  
Tony blinks some more and then shakes his head.  
  
“Not quite what I had in mind.”  
  
Gibbs taps the back of his head, not putting any real effort into it. They have to clear the lobby and the parking lot before Gibbs can say anything else but Tony doesn’t seem in any particular hurry to have this discussion so he takes his time forming his thoughts.  
  
“Not looking to ravish you,” Gibbs smirks, knowing that’ll get a laugh.  
  
Tony’s smile is clouded with sickness but still brilliant as he chuckles.  
  
“Don’t want me throwing up on you?”  
  
“Not particularly, no. Besides, that’s not what you need right now.”  
  
“Not that you're some lecherous old man, Boss.”  
  
“Zip it.”  
  
“Zipping it, Boss.”  
  
They pull out into traffic and Gibbs takes it easy, barely going the posted speed limit.  
  
“I just want to make sure you’re taken care of,” Gibbs admits finally.  
  
“Because you love me.”  
  
“Yeah. Because I love you.”  
  
“Even though I don’t feel that way about you?”  
  
“Even though,” Gibbs confirms.  
  
He can feel Tony’s eyes watching him but he keeps his focus on the road.  
  
“Gibbs?”  
  
“It’s ok, Tony.”  
  
“Yeah, but what if I want to try?”  
  
“You think it’ll make a difference?”  
  
“Maybe? I don’t know. I already like the sex, I already love you as a friend. Isn’t it supposed to be hard work? I mean…you know what I mean, right?”  
  
There’s a pleading note to Tony’s voice and Gibbs nods if only to ease his worry. He tries to work it out in his head for a minute before opening his mouth again.  
  
“You’ve got to work at making it work and then…the other shit falls into place.”  
  
“Yeah,” Tony nods, looking relieved.  
  
“I don’t want you to do that for me, Tony.”  
  
“Why not?”  
  
“You might still meet somebody. You could have a family…”  
  
“God, Gibbs, you know I’m terrible with kids.”  
  
“It’s different when they’re yours.”  
  
Tony heaves out a disgusted sigh and thuds his skull back against the headrest.  
  
“I’m sick of people telling me that! I don’t want kids, Gibbs. I really don’t. Maybe it’s selfish or childish or whatever but it doesn’t change the way I feel about it.”  
  
They both go quiet, Tony silently fuming and a storminess stealing over Gibbs. Tony eyes him and reaches out to touch his arm.  
  
“I know um…”  
  
“I never wanted to try for kids again. One of the reasons none of my marriages worked out. Just…couldn’t do it,” Gibbs bites out.  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
“Yeah,” Gibbs takes a deep breath, grip tightening on the steering wheel, “There isn’t a day that goes by I don’t think about her. If it had just been Shannon…think I could’ve dealt with it. Losing Kelly though…”  
  
“I know it’s cliché but nobody should ever have to bury their own child.”  
  
“No, they shouldn’t. Anyway, thought of having another kid just always sat wrong with me. Kelly couldn’t be replaced.”  
  
They pull up to Tony’s apartment and Gibbs manages to drag his eyes over to meet Tony’s. There’s a sadness in Tony’s eyes, sadness for Gibbs and maybe a little understanding too. Gibbs treats his team like his family, even if it is a dysfunctional one and it’s not hard to see how Abby has become his surrogate daughter and Ducky plays something of a father figure as much as a friend. The rest of the team filling in as his wayward adopted children.   
  
“How about I tuck you into bed?” Gibbs smirks.  
  
Tony laughs and then groans as he steps out of the car. He wonders where that leaves him. He’s not one of the children anymore which may make this vaguely incestuous though he’d never say so to Gibbs.  
  
“I think you might have to carry me to bed,” Tony grouses, clutching his aching ribs.  
  
He hates throwing up, his body always seems determined to heave everything out as violently as possible and he’s left hurting for days after his stomach has managed to calm itself.  
  
“Little too old for that,” Gibbs shrugs with no hint of apology.  
  
Gibbs stays close to Tony though, hand on the small of Tony’s back as they head up the stairs.  
  
“What the hell kind of place doesn’t have an elevator?” Gibbs growls, knees creaking.  
  
“An old one?” Tony huffs.  
  
Tony’s looking a little green again as he unlocks the door so Gibbs steers him towards the bathroom.  
  
“Take a shower,” he orders.  
  
“Good idea, Boss. That way if I throw up on myself I’m already in the bath.”  
  
“It’ll make you feel better.”  
  
Tony rolls his eyes and shimmies his pants down over his ass, mooning Gibbs with a smirk. With a raised eyebrow, Gibbs points to the bathroom and Tony stumbles along, undressing as he goes.  
  
“You got any Pepto Bismal? Might help,” Gibbs asks, rooting around in the cabinet as Tony adjusts the water temperature.  
  
“You mean Pepto Abysmal? No thanks, Boss. That stuff just makes me throw up more. I’ve got some alkaseltzer I think.”  
  
Gibbs finds it and shakes the box in triumph, heading to the kitchen for a clean glass. Tony seems amused to have it handed to him while he’s in the shower but he takes it without protest, chugging it down with a grimace.  
  
“Thanks.”  
  
“Don’t take too long.”  
  
Tony closes the shower door with a chuckle and Gibbs watches his blurry shape through the glass.  
  
“You gonna leer at me for a while?”  
  
“I like looking at you.”  
  
“You can barely even see me.”  
  
“Must really like looking at you then.”  
  
This makes Tony go quiet and Gibbs exits, going to turn down the bed, bringing an empty bucket, some magazines and water to the nightstand.  
  
When Tony comes in he stands in the doorway, watching silently until Gibbs turns and startles.  
  
“When did you get so damn stealthy?”  
  
“Some time after Ziva and I started trying to see who could sneak up on you. She’ll never believe me.”  
  
“Don’t expect me to back you up on that,” Gibbs snorts, “I’ve got an image to maintain.”  
  
Tony steps forward, sliding a hand from Gibbs’ cheek to his chest.  
  
“About earlier…”  
  
“Tell you what,” Gibbs interrupts, “You make it to 40 and you still haven’t found anybody we’ll have a go at it. See if we can’t make it work.”  
  
“You, me and the boat?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“I’ll be a good first mate,” Tony smirks, “I know how to sail.”  
  
“That so?”  
  
“And unlike McGeek I don’t get sea-sick.”  
  
Gibbs pulls him close for a moment, holding him almost casually.  
  
“I want you to keep looking.”  
  
“Gibbs…”  
  
“Just keep your options open, DiNozzo. I’m not easy to live with and you don’t know what will happen in the next couple of years. Don’t be so eager to tie yourself to me.”  
  
Tony presses their foreheads together and sighs through his nose with annoyance.  
  
“Christ, you’re stubborn.”  
  
“You just now noticing that?”  
  
With a glare Tony pokes him in the side.  
  
“You’re madly in love with me. In my whole life, Gibbs…you’re the only person who has ever stuck by me. My own mother never even tucked me into bed,” Tony gestures towards the mattress and turned down covers.  
  
“Doesn’t mean you won’t…”  
  
“Why take chances?” Tony interrupts.  
  
“You really want to play it safe?”  
  
“Yes. Yes, I do. Even if it never becomes something more, Gibbs, it’s better than I’ve ever gotten before. Even Jeanne…I know I hurt her but to try to frame me for her father’s murder? If nothing else I know you would never do anything like that to me.”  
  
“Kind of an extreme example, don’t you think?”  
  
Tony rolls his eyes and sits down.  
  
“That’s my one example for love, Gibbs. I don’t have any others. Nobody else has ever loved me like that.”  
  
“Somebody…”  
  
“ _Nobody_. You and Jeanne are it.”  
  
Gibbs stares at him for a minute before nudging his legs. Tony lies down and Gibbs pulls up the covers, sitting beside him.  
  
“It’s just a few years, Tony.”  
  
“And if one of us dies before then?”  
  
“We always had my kitchen?”  
  
“…did you just make a Casablanca joke?”  
  
“Might have.”  
  
Tony grins and grips Gibbs’ hand where it’s resting on his chest.  
  
“There’s hope for you yet.”  
  
“Maybe,” Gibbs shrugs, “Keep looking. Doesn’t mean you have to avoid me like the plague.”  
  
“Oh…bad joke, Boss.”  
  
“Sorry. Still working on my material.”  
  
“Don’t quit your day job. Speaking of which, you’d better get back to work, they’ll start wondering where you are.”  
  
Gibbs leans down and kisses Tony’s forehead, smoothing his hair back.  
  
“See you tonight.”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“Yeah, Tony. I’ll make you toast and you can pick a movie I probably won’t like.”  
  
“Maybe The Princess Bride,” Tony waggles his eyebrows.  
  
“Saw that one with Kelly. Could watch it again.”  
  
“Didn’t figure you for the sappy romance type, Boss.”  
  
Gibbs leans against the door jamb and looks Tony over.  
  
“You need anything before I go?”  
  
“Hit the lights?”  
  
With a soft smile, Gibbs bows his head slightly, “As you wish.”


End file.
